Paris, August 1 — Chinese athletes have etched their names in Olympic history with standout performances in tennis and athletics, while Simone Biles of the United States reclaimed her title in gymnastics on a day filled with remarkable achievements.
In a stunning upset, Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen defeated world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland to advance to the women’s singles final. Zheng, who overcame a three-set battle against German veteran Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals, secured her place in the final with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Swiatek. Zheng’s win is a significant milestone for Chinese tennis, surpassing the previous best result achieved by Li Na, who finished fourth in the women’s singles at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Zheng will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the final on Saturday.
In the mixed doubles, Chinese pair Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen reached the final after a thrilling semifinal match. They overcame Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 10-4. Wang and Zhang will compete against Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac in the final on Friday. Zhang expressed his delight, saying, “We just tried to fight every single match. Coming back in the second set and winning the super tiebreak was amazing. I am super happy about this.”
Earlier in the day, Yang Jiayu won China’s first gold medal in athletics at the Paris Olympics, triumphing in the women’s 20km race walk with a time of 1:25:54. Yang, who set the world record in 2021, led the race from start to finish. In the men’s 20km race walk, Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado claimed gold with a time of 1:18:55.
Chinese shooter Liu Yukun also made his mark by winning gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event with 463.6 points. Liu, competing in his Olympic debut, expressed his gratitude, stating, “I am very lucky because the Olympics happened at a time when I was in good form.”
On the gymnastics front, Simone Biles, the reigning world champion, added another gold medal to her illustrious career by winning the women’s all-around with a score of 59.131. Biles, who had previously won the gold at Rio 2016 and missed the Tokyo 2020 Games, outperformed Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (silver) and American teammate Sunisa Lee (bronze). Biles remarked, “I’m super proud of my performance and the fight I have had for the last three years, mentally and physically.”
In swimming, the U.S. celebrated Kate Douglass’s first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 200m breaststroke, with a time of 2:19.24. Meanwhile, the Australian team set an Olympic record in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, finishing in 7:38.08. Hungary’s Hubert Kos secured his country’s first gold of the Games by winning the men’s 200m backstroke, and Canada’s Summer McIntosh earned her second gold in the women’s 200m butterfly.
Three more swimming gold medals will be decided at La Defense Arena on Friday, continuing the excitement of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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